It is all knowing that
healthy life is the foundation of a happy life. It is also
said that children are the future of any society and the country.
Data shows that school children constitute 20% of our population. That is more
than 250 million. As such, it is absolutely necessary to educate our children
properly and also keep them healthy. Then only they can really face the
challenges of life well, shoulder the responsibilities like a responsible citizen
of the country and also live happily.

There is no denying the
fact that more than 90% of our population including children primarily need
health care and not medical care as they suffer from deficiency of protein,
minerals, vitamins etc. which can be taken care of with minimum basic knowledge
of how to live healthy despite some constraints. Even minor indisposition or
ailments due to cough, cold, indigestion etc. can be cured by adopting well
established traditional methods of health care.

Interestingly, our country
has been very rich in traditional health as well as medical practices which are
thousands of years old. But the moot question is why it is not in practice in
most of our families, particularly those living in cities.

In fact, besides the
negative social impact of market driven economy, the gradual collapse of joint
family system together with fast adoption of nuclear family system due to
multiple of socio-economic reasons has been the major cause in this regard.
Truly speaking, the culture of natural transfer of health inputs from
grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt and the likes to the younger generation
is no more in vogue in growing number of families. The
culture of fast and easy life has also been catching up fast. Undeniably, unregulated
heavy and recurrent doses of advertisement of manufactured health products and
drugs do play a defining adverse impact. Obviously, the children are the worst
sufferer in the family. This affects their impressionable mind badly as well.

The resultant effect is
seen to be believed if we visit any hospital or nursing home or doctor’s clinic
in any part of the country. The crowd there is increasing with every passing
day- majority of them for treatment of normal health issues; self-curing minor
ailments.

To say in few words, we are
required to initiate reversal of this trend through “Awareness-Motivation
Route”and try consistently for re-establishing our age old health
knowledge and tradition by affirming our faith and commitment. Naturally, this
process might take some time, but would definitely be accepted by the common
people as the noble goal is to make the large disadvantaged population of the
country fairly self-reliant as far as healthy living as well as treatment of
normal indisposition is concerned.

It hardly needs more
emphasis that to set in motion this important task effectively as per the set
goal, the role of educational institutions and social organisations is going to
be very vital.

To start with, a well-thought of and
well-planned awareness and motivation campaign ought to be undertaken for students
from class VII to class XII in a slow but steady and systematic manner. The
campaign would focus on ways to enhance the existing knowledge about basic
health care together with time tested ways of taking care of minor ailments by
making them aware of effective methods of traditional health care having sound
scientific base. The elders in the family or in neighbourhood may be impressed
to encourage the children in their own way to follow and accept the remedial
methods. Involving some teachers from
each school for taking this campaign forward can catalyse the whole operation.
Similarly, some active members of pensioners’ association in the area can be
requested to join hands for further value addition in this regard.

These simple initiatives,
to begin with, would not only enrich the knowledge base of the children
regarding various vital aspects of leading a healthy life but also provide them
a golden opportunity to know about the country’s glorious past, its rich
culture and above all nature’s great positive role in everyone’s life. In addition, this would give them an
opportunity to interact and associate with the elders in the family, which is bound
to help them in many ways. Stronger emotional and cultural bondage in the
family and neighbourhood would be a big bonus. The elders would, in turn have
the opportunity to revisit their health related knowledge, update the same and
get benefitted immensely in the process. On the whole, this exercise would
result in a healthy and happy family and social situation - a win-win position
for all.

Finally, before signing off,
let us just give a thought to what John Wesley says in these lines : “Do
all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all
the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as
long as ever you can.”